


What Happened to Homeward Bound?

by lanadelraysin



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other, i hope this ends up cute, i hope you get attached, nothing is going to be ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 19:52:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8766745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanadelraysin/pseuds/lanadelraysin
Summary: Killua just wanted to return this kid's dog, and somehow he ended up with a boyfriend and life threatening situations.





	

LOST DOG  
$100 REWARD  
Black Yorkie, last seen on Whale Street. His name is Kite. 

A silver haired boy stood in front of the lamp post examining, the flyer that had been hastily stapled up. It was a few days old, visibly tattered and worn by the weather, and most of the tabs with contact information had already been ripped off. The boy reached out and pulled one off. If he did get lucky enough to find the mutt, he'd be some housewife's hero and score an easy $100. He stuffed the tab in his pocket and continued walking, letting out a short whistle. A dirty golden retriever padded up beside him, panting happily as she looked up and cocked her head.

"Ugh, Canary! Mom is going to kill me. Why do you always have to go digging?" He let a hand fall and the retriever offered a heartfelt lick, almost as if apologizing. "I guess you'll just have to get a bath when we get home." His only response was a 'boof' before she ran further ahead.

The setting sun cast long shadows as the pair made their way back into the labyrinth of suburban homes. Mid-summer evenings were often noisy with kids playing, and tonight was no exception. He let out another whistle to bring to marry back and pull the leash out of his pocket. "Just until we're home." He promised, fastening it to her harness. It wasn't a long walk from their usual field to home, but it was always extended by Canary's need to smell every mailbox post and greet every child came up to her. When the pair finally made it through the door they received a warm welcome.

"Killua! Welcome back!" a young girl beamed at the kitchen table as they came through the door. Canary tugged at the leash and the boy dropped it, watching her scamper over to the table with a wagging tail.

"Hey Alluka. How'd your classes go today?" Killua pulled out a chair and took a seat across from his sister, careful to avoid Canary's tail, who had curled up beneath the table at Alluka's feet. The table was covered in recipe book, mostly opened to pages of various baked goods, and he assumed that she was looking for her next assignment. The girl had always loved sweets and enjoyed them so much, she took up baking and enrolled in cooking classes twice a week. He always enjoyed coming home to the smell of some new recipe she'd learned that day, and looked forward to her Sunday night dinners more than anything.

"The professor really liked my pasta! And he should, after three attempts. I'm never making it by hand again." A grimace crossed her face as she leaned forward on an elbow, thumbing through pages of cakes. "We're finally moving on to desserts and I'm ready to blow everyone away. Miss Biscuit can stuff her overdone cookies where the sun don't shine." Killua couldn't help but chuckle.

"Woah now, don't go starting fights with old ladies. They might break a hip before you get anywhere near them!"

The pair shared giggles and Alluka closed the book in her hands. "Papa and Grandpa are out of town on business again for a few days, and I think Mama has made other plans for dinner. It'll just be us kids tonight." The boy folded his arms on the table and let his chin rest on them. It wasn't often the whole family was together for meals. Holidays mostly, and they were lucky to get that. Not that Killua would complain, of course, because Alluka was the only one of the lot that didn't make him want to drive butter knives into his ears. Their mother was far too involved in only one of her children's lives to pay attention to the others', and the older men of the family were away on business so often that it was a surprise when they were home for long.

"Well we can slide Milluki's plate right under his door since he certainly won't be gracing us with his presence." The boy snorted. "And if Mother has plans then I'm sure Kalluto does, too." He heard his sister let off a quiet sigh and slide the chair away from the table, reaching down to pet Canary.

"Well, Illumi can join us then. Maybe I'll even tell him to bring his friend...." She trailed off, obviously at a loss for the friend's name.

"Hisoka." Killua finished. He shuddered at the very thought of having to share a table with not only his weird brother, but his brother's even weirder friend. "We don't have to invite them. What if we just-"

"I want them to eat with us."

The statement was abrupt. He didn't bother trying to persuade her any longer, and a tense moment of silence hung in the air until he spoke up again. "What are you going to make?"

There was a pause as the girl mulled over her options, fingers running through the dog's fur. "Maybe stromboli. We haven't had any for a while. I'll have to get started pretty soon if we want to eat any time soon, though." She stood and stretched, letting out s tiny squeak before going to open the refrigerator doors. "Can you check if Illumi is here and see if that's okay?"

Killua responded by standing and pushing his hands into his jean pockets. Canary shuffled beneath the table and padded into another room, only to turn and stare back at the boy. It was like she was asking a question. _Why aren't you following?_

"I'll go check." He finally responded, making his way out of the kitchen and into the hallway. The dog kept ahead, already familiar with where they were headed. It always amazed Killua that his parents never considered buying a larger house. There were only three actual bedrooms, and with eight members of the family living there, it certainly didn't add up. Kalluto was the only one of the kids to be graced with his own room, which wasn't surprising considering he was their mother's favorite. Killua and Alluka had come up with a makeshift wall in the attic that they shared to create separate rooms, much like Illumi and Milluki had done in the basement.

He threw open a door and descended the steps about halfway, listening for any shuffling before he called out names. All he could hear was the gentle hum of a computer and the clicking of a mouse, which was obviously not from the brother he was looking for. "Hey, Illumi! You down here?" The clicking stopped long enough to hurl a few obscenities and Killua took that as a no, making his way back up the steps. The retriever greeted him with a quiet 'woof,' turning in a circle and wagging her tail.

"What?" Killua took each ear in his hand, rubbing them softly. "Do you want out already?" Canary simply bounced and raced down the hall into the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile as he followed her.

Back in the kitchen, he opened the door for an expectant dog and turned to his sister. "Illumi isn't here. Want me to send him a text?" He asked. Alluka was elbow deep into making dough for stromboli, quite literally. She stopped kneading long enough to turn and answer him.

"He's getting stromboli either way now. Just tell him dinner will be ready in about two hours." With that, she was right back to it. Killua grinned, pulling out his phone to type out a message.

"You sound like a mom." He was too busy typing to notice the ball of dough flying through the air until it hit him in the face. "But certainly don't have the maturity of one." He was able to avoid the next ball.

 **[iMessage: Illumi]:** Stromboli for dinner in 2  
**[iMessage: Illumi]:** Alluka's treat 

Killua slid the phone onto the table and made his way to his sister’s side. “Anything I can do to help?”

”Yes. Move.” The girl shooed him out of the way, taking the dough and setting it in a bowl before washing her hands. “Go play with the dog or something. I know how to cook.” Killua merely smirked, taking a handful of flour off the counter and blowing it all over the younger sibling. “GET OUT.” He laughed darted around the table before she could retaliate, grabbing his phone and headed for the back door, and was already off the back porch when he heard the door slam and lock. If she didn’t want his company, Canary certainly wouldn’t object.

Killua whistled, expecting the retriever to come bolting around the side of the house. A few moments passed before he whistled again, and there was still no sign of her. “Canary!” He called out, walking further into the yard. He didn’t even have to go very far before he could see her tail high in the air and head in a hole, kicking up piles of dirt as she dug near a bush. “Canary, no!” He closed the distance between then and was ready to wrestle her away from the hole when he saw that she wasn’t the only one digging. A small, black fuzz ball was hard at work, totally unphased by the appearance of the boy.

 _It’s that dog!_ He was surprised, no doubt, but visions of hundred dollar bills danced through his mind as he tried to figure out what to do. _What’s its name again?_ Drawing himself back from the momentary daze, he fished the information tab from earlier out of his pocket.

KITE

(808)555-6170

 _Is that the dog or the owner?_ Killua squatted down and stared at the little thing. “Kite?”

The little dog finally stopped digging and looked up, taking a cautious step forward to sniff an outstretched hand. Once satisfied that the boy was no threat, he gave a small ‘yip’ and bounced out of the hole, running around the yard. Canary simply sat next to Killua, watching her new friend curiously. The boy glanced at his dog and gestured to the smaller one. “Thank god you aren’t that active.”

He stood once again, pulling the phone from his back pocket. Still no reply from Illumi. _Typical_. The two dogs bounced around the yard playfully, chasing one another from back to front. Quickly composing a mental script, he dialed the number and drummed his fingers on the grass. _Hi, is this Kite’s owner? Yeah, I found your dog vandalizing my back yard and quite frankly $100 isn’t enough to fix the damage._

“Hello?” A chipper voice finally broke through the monotonous dial tones. There was an air of irritation in the voice, which he somewhat expected. No one liked getting calls from unknown numbers. Killua clammed up for a second, somewhat surprised to hear a boy on the other end of the line.

“Uh, yeah! Hi!” He stammered. “Is this Kite’s owner?”

“Yes! Have you seen him somewhere?” The irritation was suddenly gone, replaced by excitement and something close to desperation. Killua couldn’t blame the kid. He’d be desperate if Canary went missing, too.

“Yes, actually. He popped up in my backyard a few minutes ago.” Killua leaned forward onto his knees as he held the conversation, watching at the two dogs moved on from chasing each other to rolling in the grass. “He seems to have befriended my dog, actually.”

The laugh that came from the other end of the line sent blood straight to the boy’s head. It was heartfelt, and one of the purest things he’d heard. “That sounds like Kite all right. He’s a friendly little ball of fluff.” There was a moment of silence as Killua replayed the laugh in his head over and over, and it was the other that spoke first. “So, when could I come pick him up?”

He snapped back into the present with a shake of his head. “Uh, how about tomorrow morning? They were both digging in the backyard so they’re pretty dirty. I can give him a bath tonight”

“Finding him and cleaning him? I should just call you for all my problems.” Another laugh echoed through the receiver. _With a voice like that, I wouldn’t mind in the least._ “Tomorrow morning works! I can probably be there by eleven, if I know where I’m going.”

“Right! Obviously. I’m an idiot.” He forced out a laugh and made a mental note to punch himself later. “I’m on Kukuroo Drive, the only grey house. I saw the flyer said Whale Street was the last place he was seen, so it’s not that far away.”

“Oh, we’re actually fairly close then! I can make it over there in no time.” There was a shuffling on the other end for a second. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this short, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this! I’ll be over to get him bright and early!"

“No problem. Glad I could help.” He had resorted to pulling up grass while they talked. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” They exchanged goodbyes and the call was over, but Killua still couldn’t get the sound of that laugh out of his head.

_Holy hell, what a voice._

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! This is another story that started when I should've been paying attention to class and got distracted. I guess I'll never learn. I was lamenting about how long it's been since I wrote something and then came across a list of aus that were pretty good. This story in particular developed from the 'finding a lost dog and wanting a date instead of the cash reward' option. I have a whole lot planned for this, so hopefully you'll enjoy it! 
> 
> I'll be doing my best to update this at least every two weeks. I've got a bad habit of hitting writers block and completely abandoning stories, but I refuse to let that be the case here!! The title is also still in the works because I can't think of something that encompasses the whole story yet. I'm trying my damndest to make everything dog puns or based off dog movies because I have nothing better to do. 
> 
> If you enjoy it, please leave me comments and kudos! They're very much appreciated!


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